Eustis' Delmolino Quits Baseball Job

Eustis High School baseball coach Warren Delmolino has turned in his resignation to principal Gene Molnar with the understanding that he will return if a replacement is not found.

Delmolino, 38, will continue working as a mathematics teacher at the school.

He said Tuesday he submitted his resignation during the season but wanted to keep it secret until after the Panthers finished their season. Eustis, which had a 15-7 record and was ranked among the top 10 in the state for most of the year, lost to Mount Dora, 2-1, in the Class AA, District 10 championship game two weeks ago.

''It's my intention right now to step completely out of the coaching scene and devote more time to my family,'' Delmolino said. ''Ever since I have been in teaching, I have been devoting my time after school to other people's kids. I think it's about time that I begin spending more time with my kids.''

Delmolino has been coaching for 15 years. He began at Umatilla High School where he spent 10 years working as an assistant in football and baseball. He was the head football coach there for one season. He has been at Eustis for five years, coaching the baseball team for the past four seasons. He also has worked as a head junior varsity and assistant varsity football coach, combining a four-year record of 58-36.

He also based his decision for quitting on the need of a junior varsity baseball coach who is on staff at the school; improving the condition of the field Eustis High School uses (it is at the Eustis Little League Complex and is maintained by the city) and additional personnel to manage operations at the field while the game is in progress.

''On the day of a home game, I'd get up at 5 a.m., teach school all day, then go to the field, get everything ready, go home, take a quick shower, then go back to the field,'' Delmolino said. ''I didn't get home until 9:30 to 10 o'clock. The next day, I was tired.

''I just feel I need to back out of things. I told Mr. Molnar that if they can't find a replacement for next season, I will come back and coach again next year, but I'd prefer not coaching.''

Delmolino, who has a reputation for being a man of strong principle, was fired as the head junior varsity football coach by Molnar last fall after he intentionally used an academically ineligible freshman player in a game against Mount Dora.

Delmolino said he used the player to protest differing academic eligibility requirements for freshmen then other high school students. The requirements were established by the Lake County School Board.

Delmolino said what happened in the fall had nothing to do with his decision to get out of coaching.

''I understood what Gene Molnar's decision was and why he had to do it,'' Delmolino said. ''It had nothing to do with my decision. Nothing at all.''

Eustis' best season under Delmolino was last year when the Panthers posted a 20-8 record and won the District 10 championship before losing to Bushnell South Sumter in the regionals.